There are two important stories regarding the origin of Kumbh Mela . Both of them are traced back to the Puranas. The most important and widely accepted myth starts in the Bhagavad Purana. Puranas are filled with wars between Devas (demigods ) and Asuras (demons). The Devas always have the upper hand but occasionally due to some curse or misdeeds the Devas lose this upper hand. Lord Indra, the king of Devas, was once cursed by Sage Durvasa and as the result of this curse, Demons overpowered the Devas. To find a solution the Devas approached Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu advised them to obtain Amrut - ‘the nectar of immortality.’ To obtain the Amrut the Devas should churn the ocean. Mandara Mountain agreed to be the churning rod and Vasuki, the serpent agreed, to be the rope. To churn the ocean the Devas needed the help of Asuras as the Devas could only hold one-end of the rope. But Devas was not willing to share the Amrut with Asuras. Finally, without any o

Kumbh Mela or Kumbha Mela is a sacred holy pilgrimage in Hinduism and takes place at four holy locations in India – Allahabad , Nasik , Ujjain and Haridwar. Earlier, it used be a gathering of Holy men and Sadhus to discuss about Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism). Today, pilgrims from around the world take part in Kumbh Mela. ‘Kumbh’ means pot and ‘Mela’ means fair.  The Kumbh Mela lasts for more than a month and is determined by astrological calculations. Each location – Allahabad , Nasik , Ujjain and Haridwar – will have a Mahakumbh Mela or Kumbh Mela once in 12 years. At Allahabad in the Hindu month of Magha (January-February) - 1989, 2001, 2012, 2024…. At Haridwar in the Hindu month of Chaitra (March-April) - 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022…. At Nasik in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada (August-September) - 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027… At Ujjain in the Hindu month of Vaisakha (April-May) - 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028… During the twelve year cycle, there is an

Time magazine has named ‘You’ the netizen as this year's ‘Person of the Year 2006.’ Reuters reports: "For seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, Time's Person of the Year for 2006 is you," Lev Grossman wrote. So you and I have become the Time’s person of the year. But who was the first Indian to be the Time’s person of the year? In fact he is the lone Indian in that long list which starts in 1927. Yes, it was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1930. From Times Curiously, it was in a jail that the year's end found the little half-naked brown man whose 1930 mark on world history will undoubtedly loom largest of all. It was exactly twelve months ago that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's Indian National Congress promulgated the Declaration of Indian Independence . It was in March that he marched to the sea to defy Brita